An interesting premise, but the execution leaves much to be desired.
In the sequel to Scavenge the Stars (2020), Amaya “Silverfish” Chandra and Cayo Mercado flee their hometown of Moray for Baleine, a port city in the Rain Empire, for completely different reasons.
When Amaya’s mysterious benefactor, Boon, gives her chests of gold—which she later discovers contain counterfeit money that causes the deadly epidemic ash fever—and asks her to spread it far and wide disguised as Countess Yamaa, she does so without questioning him because she is blinded by an overwhelming need to avenge her dead parents. However, Amaya feels betrayed by Boon and is determined to find him, discover the truth about her father, and make him admit to his crimes. Cayo, meanwhile, is a recovering gambler who has lost everything but his sister, Soria. Desperate to find a cure for Soria’s ash fever, he takes her to a hospital in Baleine. Amaya’s and Cayo’s feelings toward each other have been complicated ever since Amaya tricked Cayo into believing she was a countess, but they need to work together to stay ahead of the corruption in their world. While the design of this sequel is grand, the worldbuilding feels flimsy and the plot, overly complicated while the characters lack conviction and sufficient motivation. The cast is diverse in ethnicity and sexuality.
An interesting premise, but the execution leaves much to be desired. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: March 9, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5533-4
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in.
Black is back with another dark tale of Faerie, this one set in Faerie and launching a new trilogy.
Jude—broken, rebuilt, fueled by anger and a sense of powerlessness—has never recovered from watching her adoptive Faerie father murder her parents. Human Jude (whose brown hair curls and whose skin color is never described) both hates and loves Madoc, whose murderous nature is true to his Faerie self and who in his way loves her. Brought up among the Gentry, Jude has never felt at ease, but after a decade, Faerie has become her home despite the constant peril. Black’s latest looks at nature and nurture and spins a tale of court intrigue, bloodshed, and a truly messed-up relationship that might be the saving of Jude and the titular prince, who, like Jude, has been shaped by the cruelties of others. Fierce and observant Jude is utterly unaware of the currents that swirl around her. She fights, plots, even murders enemies, but she must also navigate her relationship with her complex family (human, Faerie, and mixed). This is a heady blend of Faerie lore, high fantasy, and high school drama, dripping with description that brings the dangerous but tempting world of Faerie to life.
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in. (Fantasy. 14-adult)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-316-31027-7
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Sept. 25, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2017
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